Horizontal bars are used in the home for exercise and gymnastic purposes, and it is known to mount such bars between doorway jambs, examples of such devices being shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 829,653; 849,035; 1,548,175 and 3,342,484. Such known devices utilize means for supporting the bar between the door jambs, and often such bars use adjustment means, such as threads, to adjust the bar length for accommodating various sizes of doors and to adjust the frictional engagement of the bar ends with the associated door jamb.
Horizontal bars of the above type are usually semi-permanently installed in place, usually at the upper region of the doorway, because of the inconvenience and extensive manipulation required to remove and install the bar. There is a need for a horizontal bar of this type which is self-storing and wherein the bar may be positioned between use and storage positions requiring a minimum of manipulation, and operable with ordinary skills.
It is an object of the invention to provide horizontal support bar apparatus which may be mounted within a doorway between door jambs, is self-storing, and capable of supporting relatively heavy loads.
Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively economical horizontal support bar capable of being installed in a doorway for use with exercise and gymnastic purposes and wherein the bar is readily positionable between a horizontal use position and a substantially vertical storage position which does not interfere with passage through the doorway.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a self-storing horizontal support bar for installation within a doorway wherein the bar is positionable between use and storage positions and frictional engagement between the bar and doorway increases proportional to the vertical load being applied to the bar.
A self-storing horizontal support bar constructed in accord with the invention includes a tubular bar formed of two telescopingly associated portions interconnected by a detent so as to adjustably determine the bar length. Support members are associated with each end of the bar, and the primary support member may be permanently affixed to a vertical door jamb by screws or similar fasteners.
The secondary support member is associated with the other bar end and is not permanently associated with the engaged door jamb but includes means, such as suction cups, to increase the frictional engagement between the support member and the door jamb surface.
The end of the bar associated with the primary support member includes a pivot interposed therebetween wherein the bar may be pivoted between a substantially horizontal use position and a substantially vertical storage position where the bar will be substantially parallel to the door jamb upon which the primary support member is mounted. Additionally, pivot means interconnect the secondary support member and its associated bar end whereby the secondary support member may pivot to a storage position to align the secondary support member with the length of the bar and minimize the space occupied by the apparatus within the door jamb during storage.
The pivot means associated with each end of the bar engage cam or wedge surfaces defined upon the support members whereby vertical weight applied to the bar when in the use position tends to separate the support members and increase the frictional engagement between the support members and their associated door jamb surface. The greater the weight applied to the bar, the greater the frictional engagement between the bar support members and their supporting surfaces.
Positioning of the bar between its use and storage positions is readily accomplished requiring no special skills, and the apparatus is easy to use, may be readily installed, and permits unobstructed use of the doorway when the bar is in the self-storage position.